Pancreatic Panniculitis Associated with Allograft Pancreatitis and Rejection in a Simultaneous Pancreas–Kidney Transplant Recipient

Pancreatic panniculitis is an uncommon condition that can occur in association with pancreatic disease. We present a case of pancreatic panniculitis in a female pancreas-kidney transplant recipient 5 months post-transplant. The patient was on standard immunosuppressive medications and had acute rejection of her renal allograft. The diagnosis of allograft pancreatitis and rejection presenting with pancreatic panniculitis was supported clinically, histopathologically and by laboratory and imaging data. This is the fourth case of pancreatic panniculitis occurring in a transplant recipient and the first in a simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant recipient. It is also the first case associated with allograft rejection. Clinicians should be aware that pancreatic panniculitis may be a manifestation of underlying allograft pancreatic disease.     

Smad1在青少年特发性脊柱侧凸患者骨髓间质干细胞中的表达及意义

目的:探讨Smad1在青少年特发性脊柱侧凸(AIS)患者骨髓间质干细胞(MSCs)中的表达及其在发病机制中的作用。方法:30例12～18岁志愿者分为两组:AIS组20例,同年龄正常对照组10例。分别从髂前上棘处骨穿刺抽取10ml骨髓,肝素抗凝。采用密度梯度离心法分离MSCs,体外培养并传至P2代行表型鉴定,分别采用RT-PCR及免疫蛋白印记法检测两组患者MSCs中Smad1的表达情况。结果:AIS组与对照组Smad1mRNA水平的平均表达率分别为4.48±0.58和1.03±0.22,蛋白水平的平均表达率分别为2.62±0.55和0.84±0.22。不论是核酸水平还是蛋白水平AIS组Smad1的表达均高于对照组(P<0.01)。结论:Smad1在AIS患者MSCs中表达强度异常,可能与AIS发病的分子机制相关。     

Teaching Family Policy in Undergraduate and Graduate Classrooms: Why It's Important and How to Do It Better*

Abstract: As newcomers on college campuses, family policy courses have the potential to benefit policymaking, fill a void in undergraduate and graduate education, strengthen families, and prepare students for lifelong political engagement during a pivotal period in their development. Yet, family policy has proven a challenging course to teach. Family policy is an esoteric concept, which makes courses difficult to distinguish from other policy courses. The content of a family policy course is fluid and inherently value laden. This paper proposes course content and teaching techniques to transform these challenges into learning opportunities. The author discusses similarities and differences in teaching undergraduate and graduate courses and recommends cross‐university dialogue and resource exchange to improve the teaching of family policy in college classrooms.     

Sensitivity and specificity of a self-administered questionnaire for familial screening of adult-onset dystonia.

We developed a self-administered questionnaire for screening the most common adult-onset dystonias. It was tested in 90 first-degree relatives of 22 adult-onset dystonia patients, yielding 79% sensitivity and 94% specificity. Simulation of a case-finding procedure based on serial application of the questionnaire and clinical examination of both subjects screening positive and subjects screening negative who had < 8 years of schooling increased sensitivity to 95% and specificity to 100%. This questionnaire may be an important screening resource for familial aggregation studies to be used in the context of a complex case-finding procedure.     

Ex Vivo Application of Carbon Monoxide in University of Wisconsin Solution to Prevent Intestinal Cold Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Carbon monoxide (CO), a byproduct of heme catalysis, was shown to have potent cytoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects. In vivo recipient CO inhalation at low concentrations prevented ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury associated with small intestinal transplantation (SITx). This study examined whether ex vivo delivery of CO in University of Wisconsin (UW) solution could ameliorate intestinal I/R injury. Orthotopic syngenic SITx was performed in Lewis rats after 6 h cold preservation in control UW or UW that was bubbled with CO gas (0.1-5%) (CO-UW). Recipient survival with intestinal grafts preserved in 5%, but not 0.1%, CO-UW improved to 86.7% (13/15) from 53% (9/17) with control UW. At 3 h after SITx, grafts stored in 5% CO-UW showed improved intestinal barrier function, less mucosal denudation and reduced inflammatory mediator upregulation compared to those in control UW. Preservation in CO-UW associated with reduced vascular resistance (end preservation), increased graft cyclic guanosine monophosphate levels (1 h), and improved graft blood flow (1 h). Protective effects of CO-UW were reversed by ODQ, an inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase. In vitro culture experiment also showed better preservation of vascular endothelial cells with CO-UW. The study suggests that ex vivo CO delivery into UW solution would be a simple and innovative therapeutic strategy to prevent transplant-induced I/R injury.     

细胞间黏附分子-1在实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎大鼠中表达的动态变化及作用

目的探讨细胞间黏附分子-1(ICAM-1)在实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎(EAE)大鼠中表达的动态变化及其作用。方法分别取免疫后第4、6、8、10、12、14、16、18、20天EAE大鼠脑和脊髓制成石蜡切片,行HE染色和ICAM-1半定量免疫组化分析。结果免疫后第8天ICAM-1表达即出现明显上调,早于临床症状的发生;随免疫后时间的延长,ICAM-1表达呈逐渐增高后缓慢下降的变化趋势,并且与EAE大鼠病情评分呈显著正相关(r=0.57,P=0.003)。结论ICAM-1的表达上调可能在EAE发病中具重要作用。     

A presenilin 1 mutation (L420R) in a family with early onset Alzheimer disease,seizures and cotton wool plaques,but not spastic paraparesis

Over 100 mutations in the presenilin‐1 gene (PSEN1) have been shown to result in familial early onset Alzheimer disease (EOAD), but only a relatively few give rise to plaques with an appearance like cotton wool (CWP) and/or spastic paraparesis (SP). A family with EOAD, seizures and CWP was investigated by neuropathological study and DNA sequencing of the PSEN1 gene. Aβ was identified in leptomeningeal vessels and in cerebral plaques. A single point mutation, p.L420R (g.1508T > G) that gives rise to a missense mutation in the eighth transmembrane (TM8) domain of PS1 was identified in two affected members of the family. p.L420R (g.1508T > G) is the mutation responsible for EOAD, seizures and CWP without SP in this family.     

Cause-specific and total mortality in the Canterbury (New Zealand) insulin-treated Diabetic Registry population: a 15-year follow-up study.

AIMS: To establish all-cause and cause-specific death rates, and risk factors for mortality in insulin-treated diabetic individuals living in the province of Canterbury, New Zealand. METHODS: Insulin-treated diabetic subjects (n = 995) on the Canterbury Diabetes Registry were followed up over 15 years and vital status determined. Death rates were standardized and hazard regression was used to model the effects of demographic covariates on relative survival time. RESULTS: There were 419 deaths in 11 226.3 person-years of follow-up with a standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of 2.0 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.8-2.2). Relative mortality was greatest for the group aged 0-29 years (SMR 3.0 (95% CI 2.4-3.7)). After controlling for diabetes duration and gender, a 10-year increment in age of onset was associated with a 33% decrease in relative hazard (95% CI 29-36%), indicating that excess mortality due to diabetes declines with rising age of onset. After controlling for age of onset and gender, each 10-year increment in duration of diabetes is associated with a 26% decrease in relative hazard (95% CI 24-29%), indicating that with longer survival the mortality hazard approaches the general population hazard. Relative mortalities were increased for cardiovascular, renal and respiratory disease, but not malignancy. Relative mortality from acute metabolic complications was increased in the subgroup with age of onset of diabetes < 30 years and requiring insulin within 1 year of diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality rates are high for insulin-treated diabetic individuals relative to the general population.     

Outcomes at 3 years of a prospective pilot study of Campath-1H and sirolimus immunosuppression for renal transplantation

Campath-1H (alemtuzumab) induction was used for renal transplantation in combination with sirolimus as immunosuppression. We previously reported a high (28%) rate of early rejection with this regimen, and now report 3-year outcomes. Twenty-nine patients were recipients of either deceased donor or non-HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) identical living donor primary renal allografts. Clinical parameters including infection, malignancy, kidney function, and kidney histology were followed prospectively for 3 years. Three-year cumulative graft and patient survival were 96% and 100%, respectively. Twenty patients were maintained on steroid-free immunosuppressive regimens, and 15 patients were maintained on monotherapy for immunosuppression (12 on sirolimus). No serious infectious complications were observed and two patients developed basal cell skin cancer. The 3-year results of our initial pilot study demonstrate good graft (96%) and patient (100%) outcomes. Campath-1H induction has yielded a high proportion of patients maintained on immunosuppressive monotherapy (57%) without serious infectious- and no malignancy-related complications. The reported regimen yielded novel insights into both Campath-1H and sirolimus therapy in renal transplantation. Because of the higher incidence of early rejection, we recommend a modified strategy of immunosuppression including a brief course of a calcineurin inhibitor.     

荆州市成人体检血脂及载脂蛋白状况调查与分析

目的:调查荆州市部分成年人体检的血脂和载脂蛋白的水平,为临床血脂研究与心血管病防治提供参考。方法:以2003年至2005年来我院体检的1656名成年人为研究对象,检测其血清中胆固醇(TC)、甘油三酯(TG)、载脂蛋白A1(ApoA1)、载脂蛋白B(ApoB)的含量。结果:TC、TG值随年龄增加而增高,女性比男性增高更明显。男性ApoA1和ApoB值在各年龄段基本一致,女性则是随年龄增加而上升。但在60岁以后又下降。老年前期、老年人血脂异常率较高且比较接近。结论:脂类代谢与年龄密切相关,中老年人尤其是女性血脂异常明显增加,表明动脉粥祥硬化性心血管病的风险明显增高。